Poetry
Debris performing A Toast to the People at Edinburgh International Festival 2021.
The 2021 Edinburgh International Festival's 'A Toast to the People' series commissioned ten spoken word artists to write a piece inspired by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘A Toast to the People’. Here, Debris Stevenson performs their work 'Toast to Room 2' in Edinburgh's Dance Base.
Debris found poetry at 16 in the gut of the Roundhouse, where words enabled her to navigate her dyslexia. After being followed by Channel4 for 2 years, she was published by organisations such as, Louis Vuitton, Oxford University, Holland Park Press and BBC Radio's The Verb.
Filming & Editing by Ioney Smallhorne http://vimeo.com/ioneyiscreative
The current education system doesn’t work for everyone. Grime-poet Debris Stevenson takes us back to her experience at school when she was labelled as someone with dyslexia and a failure.
written & performed DEBRIS STEVENSON
director, producer & editor ALFIE BARKER
exec producers BETH TURRELL & SOLOMON NWABUEZE
associate producer CLAUDIA LEE
director of photography TOM LA MOTTE
camera assistant AMOL DATTA
sound recordist MATTHEW EDWARDS
sound designer BREEN TURNER
post-sound NFTS
grade CAROLINE MORIN
post-producer MIKAEL NAKKAS @ WASH
special thanks HOPE MOON, DELIA BARKER, JAMIE HUTCHINSON, CHRIS HORDLEY, LEEDS FILM, KIRKLEE'S COUNCIL, MICHAEL FURNESS, PATRICK PILLAR, CATHERINE BRAY.
Shot in Leeds & surrounding areas.
a FILM ROUNDHOUSE production. Funded by Creative England, BBC Arts and Roundhouse.
Inspired by and opening with D Double E's line from Birds in the Sky. Commissioned poem by the British Council by Debris Stevenson in honour of their new building in Stratford, Newham.
Debris performing "Stop Dat" at Sofar London on August 18th, 2016
Credit: Head photography by Camille Mack.